--------------------------------The thing I found interesting was that there was no statement from the police saying "We do not encourage people to stand up to would-be thieves" or words to that effect.

I'm not sure if this is a change in attitudes - both people standing up to those that threaten them and there being no "it's never worth it" statement issued - or whether it's a one off. I'm hoping it's the start of "people are allowed to defend themselves" trend!